Charter Schools Suit

The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law has sued the state and seven counties on
behalf of several charter schools, parents and students, saying the schools are
entitled to capital funding. The charter schools receive public funding for operating
expenses and per-pupil allotments just like traditional schools, but have been frozen
out of construction and maintenance money. That leaves the schools with less
"money for teachers and other supplies," said Jason Kay, an attorney for the
institute, a Raleigh-based advocacy group. Cleveland, Edgecombe, Halifax,
Mecklenburg, Nash, Union and Rutherford counties are named as defendants in the
lawsuit.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman and a county attorney
have said state law does not give counties or public school boards power to give
charter schools capital funds. A 1998 advisory opinion from the state Attorney
General's office concurs. The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law sent a letter to
Mecklenburg commissioners in August, questioning the dearth of capital funding for
charter schools. In the suit filed in Mecklenburg Superior Court, the group argues
the state constitution mandates "sound basic education" and similar funding. "This
seeks to make sure public charter schools have a seat at the table," Kay said. "They
have never had a seat before."(Fred Clasen-Kelly, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER,
9/22/09).

Final Spending Numbers

State government spent $724 million less in the 2008-09 fiscal year than in the
previous fiscal year and $1.7 billion less than budgeted, according to figures from
the Office of the State Controller. An unaudited monthly report for the final month of the fiscal year, recently posted by the agency, shows total state spending of $19.65 billion for the year, compared to a budget of $21.35 billion. The report reflects a state struggling with declining tax revenues as a result of the recession and provides more details about how Gov. Beverly Perdue plugged a $3.2 billion shortfall. It shows personal income tax collections taking a huge hit during the year, declining $1.4 billion year-over-year and coming in nearly $2 billion less than forecast. Corporate tax collections were down $276 million from the previous year, while sales tax collections declined by $304 million. The Perdue administration made up nearly half the budget gap with $680 million in federal stimulus money and $802 million gained by raiding state reserves and trusts, including the state's Rainy Day reserves.

The figures reveal that many state agencies faced real year-over-year spending reductions, cuts that went beyond continuation increases. University spending fell $140 million, while community college spending declined $56 million. Public school spending increased by $165 million. Overall, tax collection came in 15.4 percent less than projected and spending was 8 percent less than budgeted. The report also show the state's Rainy Day reserves standing at $150 million to close the fiscal year.(THE INSIDER, 9/23/09).

Wake Schools Use ARRA Funds

Federal stimulus funds are being used to create 558 jobs in the Wake County Public School System. David Neter told the Board that the school system has worked to provide job opportunities with the federal funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Donna Hargens said there are four principles guiding the school system’s use of the two years of federal stimulus funds: *Spend funds quickly to save and create jobs *Improve student achievement through school improvement and reform *Ensure transparency, reporting and accountability and *Invest one-time ARRA funds thoughtfully to minimize the “funding cliff”

Funds are to be used for short-term investment that have the potential for long-term benefits rather than expenditures the school system may not be able to sustain once the recovery funds are expended. Hargens says all 558 jobs are in schools and include 460 certified jobs and 98 non certified jobs. In the certified jobs are 180 teachers and 280 instructional staff. The non-certified jobs include 98 teacher assistants. Hargens said these job openings benefited teachers who were displaced by budget cuts. The school system sought to fill these positions with displaced teachers.

Safe Keeping?

Local school officials call the recent theft of more than $25,000 in donations to a high school sports team from a private office in Scotts Valley, CA an aberration, but some acknowledge the system of ensuring cash from fundraisers gets to its intended recipient isn't foolproof. While schools must follow strict accounting procedures once they receive donations, fundraisers held on weekends or vacations can mean delays in banking proceeds. Travis Rebbert, Harbor High School's new head football coach, thought money raised by his team during the summer vacation would be safe in the office where he works until school reopened. But the cash and checks turned up missing from a locked drawer in his locked office last week.

A police investigation is ongoing, but Rebbert, after a brief suspension by Santa Cruz City Schools officials, returned to coaching Tuesday after being cleared of wrongdoing. Harriet Lacey, director of finance for Santa Cruz City Schools, said her district requires a school representative to be available to receive cash at the conclusion of school-sponsored fundraisers. Money also must be counted by two people and stored at the school. Donations must be moved to accounts at the district office within a week. In Rebbert's case, that didn't happen because he said the school wasn't open. District officials have said Rebbert could have brought the donations directly to the district office, but they acknowledged, as a new coach, he wasn't fully trained.

Longer School Days?

State Board of Education members spent considerable time Tuesday discussing longer school years. Board members noted that other countries, like China and India, have school years longer than 180 days. "We better pay attention to what's going on in other parts of the world," said board member John A. Tate III. But board chairman Bill Harrison acknowledged that having students spend more time at school is not something that's going to happen soon, considering the state's financial straits. In fact, Wilkes County schools got permission from legislators to cut this school year to 162 days and make each day 45 minutes longer so it could save money.

While most in the room endorsed more time at school, state superintendent June Atkinson said some students may be better off spending less time there. "Some kids don't need to come to school everyday," she said. Atkinson wants the state to move toward "personalized education plans," which she said would involve, for example, chances for high school students to take classes, work at internships, and work on projects with mentors. "We've squeezed all the drops of educational juice out of the traditional schedule in public schools," she said. (THE NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/02/09).

Wake Teachers Get Raise

RALEIGH -- In the face of larger class sizes, layoffs and frozen salaries across the state, about 1,600 Wake County teachers will get a small pay raise this year. State legislators froze salaries for teachers and state employees this year to help close a record multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. But with a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Wake school board agreed to spend local dollars to give educators who've recently completed five, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years of teaching a raise of $200 to $350 this year. It was a $420,000 decision that drew cheers from educators not expecting to get any extra money in their paychecks this year. Wake, like many school districts, adds local money to the amount the state pays teachers. Wake school leaders said they wanted to give raises to at least some of the district's 9,000 teachers so that they're not lured to other districts offering more pay.

Other systems' plans
Stephen Gainey said Chapel Hill-Carrboro and the Johnston County school system are taking similar steps this year to provide teacher raises. Stephanie Knott, a spokeswoman for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district, said some teachers will see a slight increase in their pay if they're moving from one level to the next based on their years of experience. Johnston County teachers who have 8, 16 or 25 years of experience will see their regularly scheduled local pay increases this year.

GA Adopts Furlough policy

ATLANTA (AP) -- High school librarian Melissa Payne is starting her new school year with $1,000 less in her paycheck and three days that she'll be forced to stay home from her job.
It's the same story across the country, where teachers -- once among the groups exempted from furlough days -- are being forced to take unpaid days off amid massive state budget cuts.
Georgia is the only state so far to impose statewide furloughs for educators this fiscal year, though others are considering it. But furloughs are happening in individual districts in states such as New Mexico, Florida and California, said Ed Muir, deputy director of research and information services for the American Federation of Teachers.

Athletes Get a Bigger Boost

Years ago, community groups affiliated with high school athletic programs paid for the extras: jackets, banquets, rings for state champions. As student fees continue to rise, fund-raisers are paying for everything from coaches to buses. Now they’re paying for coaches and officials, and buying such things as equipment, uniforms and - in the case of the Foundation of Winthrop (MA) - buses. As Globe North area student-athletes returned to playing fields this week and began practicing for fall sports, they found shrunken school budgets and, in many cases, higher athletic user fees that had to be paid before an athlete could step onto the field. They also found their sports increasingly funded by booster clubs and nonprofit organizations that are turning their attention to the nuts and bolts of athletic programs, including, literally, the nuts and bolts of transportation. Over the past five years, the foundation has provided about $405,000 in direct aid to all of the town’s schools in grants both big and small, from $300 for art club supplies to $5,000 for a drama club adviser. One of the largest contributions made by the foundation each year has gone to the high school’s athletic program, to soften the blow of steadily growing athletic user fees. A year ago, the foundation contributed $50,000, which allowed the user fee to remain at $350 a sport. Over the past five years, the group also sought to raise a $1 million endowment that would have allowed the foundation to fund grants and programs in perpetuity. The drive fell short, but $300,000 was raised.